On a recent Sunday afternoon we ventured out to the Museum of Florida History located in the R.A. Gray Building in Downtown Tallahassee. I started taking my children to this museum when they were just toddlers and as they have gotten older it is still a place that they enjoy going.
From the moment you walk in, the children's attention is captured as you wander through the different periods of history from the age of the Mastodon to the Native Indians to the Civil War and beyond. I have really enjoyed watching my children grow up visiting this museum because as they get older and study more about the history of the State of Florida, different exhibits mean more to them. Let me tell you that as a parent, if you have a child needing to do a report on a certain period of history in Florida, this is the museum to bring them too.
The exhibits really encourage learning by providing such a multisensory experience. The children can read about the period, see objects from the actual period and even take part in some interactive things to help educate them about the period. There is even a life size steamboat that they can climb on and a kitchen set up exactly as it would have looked in the 1800's. If you have younger children they will love Grandma's attic. A true replicate of an attic filled with costumes, an old fashioned kitchen and so many things that you would have found years ago when visiting your grandparents home. My kids spend hours playing up there and there is a monitor set up in the attic so parents can sit downstairs in a living room out of the sixties and watch the children on a television screen.
On our recent visit I took my brothers and their families who were visiting from out of town. As we were walking through the museum, you will never guess who we bumped in too! Governor Rick Scott. Talk about something the kids will remember...a day at the Museum of Florida History and a chance to meet the governor! That is a great day filled with history!
The museum is open everyday of the week and holidays. There is no cost to go into the museum but donations are accepted.
Tags: Civil War, Exhibit, Mastadon, Museum, Museum of Florida History, Tallahassee
Blythe NewsomeBlythe Newsome is a single mother of six children ages 6,8,10,12,14 and 16. While a morning radio show host, her family was featured on an episode of the Supernanny in 2007. The reality of this single mom who spends her days getting GI Joes out of the toilet, explaining to her girls that you can not cut your hair like you do your Barbie’s, convincing herself that ketchup on a hotdog counts as a vegetable and letting America see what hides underneath her couch cushions made her family one of “America’s Most Asked About Families” from the show according to producers. ABC came back to film the 100th episode which aired in March 2010. When not playing the role of nurse, teacher, chef, referee, taxi driver, coach, or housekeeper, she writes a syndicated column called Flirting with Forty.
“As a Tallahassee native, I am passionate about this city, raising my children here and I am always searching for new adventures for us. When people think about a vacation, this is the place to come. The city is rich in history, annual events and provides people of all ages with something to do”. Each week Blythe and her children will share with you the stories and pictures of the adventures that are waiting for you in Tallahassee!
